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June 23, 2011

In Fewer Than 25 Words: How MLB Can Fix The AL's No-DH Problem For Games In NL Parks

This should be very simple: The Red Sox -- and every other American League team -- should be able to use their best hitters in all 162 of their regular season games (without having any of them play wildly out of position).

That the Red Sox front office is discussing playing Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield during the team's nine-game road trip to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Houston is completely bizarre and utterly fucked up. This situation -- which is magnified for Boston because of the talented players involved -- should be a colossal embarrassment for MLB.

To solve this problem, all Bud Selig has to do is say something like this:

Because the American League uses the DH, in any game featuring an American League team, both teams have the option of using a DH.

Ta-da! Problem solved! And it doesn't even involve creating a new rule. This is already what happens in inter-league games in AL parks.

But because Selig remains allergic to common sense, Francona will leave one of his best two hitters on the bench or concoct some risky fielding alignment. Tito will likely (a) have Evil Bert and Flo split the nine games at first, depending on the opposing starter (thus keeping both non-outfielders out of the outfield) and have the other guy pinch-hit or (b) figure out which Red Sox starter(s) is least likely to give up hits and fly balls to right field and start Gonzalez out there on those nights, and pray everything goes okay.

But why should one of these guys have to suddenly ride the bench for a week and a half (5.5% of the regular season)?

If we don't play David for 11 days, that's going to kill him. I don't want to do that. ...

Gonzi has been taking some balls out in the outfield. He's very willing to do it. ... If you put Gonzi in right — that's the one place he says he can play — you're potentially taking J.D. out of the lineup or moving him to left. We've got guys all over the place. And then the other thing is, Gonzi, if something ever happened to him, I'd catch a lot of [grief]. ... I actually have some anxiety over this one. I want to do what's right, and I've got to try to figure out in my own head what is right. ...

Gonzi, I have no doubt, just from watching him out there, that if it's hit to him, he'll catch it and he'll throw the ball to the right base. I don't think he's going to run something down like [Carl Crawford] or [Jacoby Ellsbury]. But I don't doubt he'll make the plays he's supposed to.

Francona's comment about not wanting Ortiz to sit on the bench for 11 days is odd. It's not an all-or-nothing proposition. Even if Gonzalez played every game at first base, Ortiz would likely pinch-hit every single night (or vice versa).

Six of the nine games are against the Pirates - 25th in both Team OPS (.633) and R/G (3.77) - and the Astros - 20th in Team OPS (.694) and 19th in R/G (3.99) - two teams the Red Sox should be able to win two out of three or sweep without too much trouble, no matter who is in the outfield. (The Red Sox are #1 in both Team OPS (.803) and R/G (5.41).)

Dave O'Brien: So you're on pace to walk 100 times this season. Now, in the past you've been content to walk 70 times, in that area. What gives this season? Why all the walks?

Dustin Pedroia: No protection. No protection. We gave Adrian 154 million dollars and I can't get protection, this is unbelievable. I don't care how hot he's hitting, he's hitting .360, I need somebody back there protecting me. I don't want to walk, are you kiddin' me?!

26 comments:

That the Red Sox front office is discussing playing Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield during the team's nine-game road trip to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Houston is completely bizarre and utterly fucked up.

I feel the same way about a pitcher having to hit every 5th day.If Adrian playing the outfiled is bizzare why don't you find a pitcher hitting bizzare?

I disagree. If you make the NL teams use a designated hitter, you put them at a disadvantage.

The AL teams have a guy who is on the team to DH. He is typically a good hitter. The NL teams don't, and would be replacing the pitcher in these games with a guy who is typically a bench player.

It's not fair to either league to have to play the other league's rules. With the given circumstances, the current rules are really quite fair. Have half of the games where you get the advantage, have half the games where you have the disadvantage.

It sucks, but it's the best way to do it.

The only way to fix the DH problem altogether is to have both teams play under the same rule, whatever the rule may be.

If you make the NL teams use a designated hitter, you put them at a disadvantage.

I would think it would be the opposite. The AL gets to play the way it usually does, but the NL gets the bonus of having a stronger bat in the lineup. Even a bench player has got to hit better than a pitcher, right?

Now, it's certainly up for debate whether the NL's pitchers are going to be better hitters than the AL's pitchers (I would argue that that's the case), but I think that the difference in talent between an AL pitcher and an NL pitcher is bigger than the difference in talent between an AL DH and an NL DH... and that is the cornerstone of my argument...

...Which means that my opinion on this can be totally be turned by looking up the difference in talent (by however measure makes sense) between the AL/NL pitchers and AL/NL DH's. I'm just not really sure of an efficient way to do it (those with more experience with Baseball-Reference.com could probably do it easily).

Having said alllllll of that... it's a fun argument either way. <3 Baseball.

Maybe Bud is just a true believer in the "no publicity is bad publicity" crowd. Every season since its inception, the same arguments. It used to boil only during the run-up to the World Series. Now inter-league puts it on the front burner every June. Every June. The fundamentally different rule for each league is bad enough and the pros and cons have not changed in 40 years.

I would say 8 out of 10 times they don't go to get a hit, They either sacrifice or make an out .Watch tonight, I believe the Red Sox brass tell the pitchers swing easy ,if you have to bunt, take 3 strikes, whatever you do don't get hurt.The pitchers dont work on it like they used to...

Like I have said repeatedly to hit a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports , and to try and do it every fifth day is ridicouls .

And besides the catcher who on the field works the hardest on defense? The Pitcher.

So Lester goes out there has a 30 pitch inning and we expect him to get a hit, no we expect him to make an out.

I have coached many little league teams, and do not even instruct the bunt.These kids are here to get hits have fun , bunts were invented by some coach who thought he was smart by making an out. By making an out!!!!!! Outs are precious they should not be wasted on pitchers who do not care or have to depend on their salary if they hit .300

Watching pitchers hit is like watching me fold clothes , yeah I can do it put it usually ends all fucked up..

Pirates fan here: I love the fact that the Sox are facing the quandry they are re: Ortiz & Gonzalez. Baseball players should be able to field a position -- it's as simple as that. NL baseball is true baseball & has been since the moment the DH was invented. The AL can keep all the Old/Fat/One-Dimensional players as far as I'm concerned.

NL baseball is true baseball & has been since the moment the DH was invented.

I couldn't agree more. But the AL does not have a DH because players are unable to field a position, and clearly, DH's are not all fat or old. I assume you know that's nonsense.

It's not like a bunch of old, fat (no idea where that comes from - Tony Gwynn was in the NL, right? among others) players got together and decided they wouldn't field, or pitchers got together and decided not to bat.

Many AL fans don't like the DH rule, but the rule exists, the AL uses it. That's the reality of it. So putting AL teams that are in serious contention for the playoffs at a disadvantage for 9 or however many games a year is an unfair playing field.

I can appreciate that you like it because it gives your team an advantage, but surely you can see there is a larger issue here.

You say: "So putting AL teams that are in serious contention for the playoffs at a disadvantage for 9 or however many games a year is an unfair playing field."

Flip it around, and the same is true of any NL team in contention having to play IL games in AL stadiums. It goes both ways.

My support for NO designated hitter in the NL has nothing to do with my team (the Pirates) getting an advantage, because let's face it, it wouldn't have made much difference for the Pirates one way or the other these past 18 years!

I am opposed to the rule in general because I think it lessens the game on the field (and starts it down the path toward being a HR Derby). The game as it was created - all 9 batters play a position in the field - seems to me to be the best.

Just to throw this out - I understand the arguments about different ways to level the playing field for interleague play - but when you set this against the inequities that exist because of unequal market sizes/payrolls across the teams, how much does this issue really matter?

Another question - over the history of interleague play, AL teams have won more of the games than the NL teams have (1874-1712, says Wikipedia, including at least some of the available 2011 results). Wouldn't that suggest that the current system of playing the home team's rules is, if anything, slightly unfair to the NL?